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#2 I wish I could believe that, gromky. But I can't. If the Chinese are so unhappy about it then Clinton/Bush/Obaman wouldn't have been afraid to do something about it. If the Chinese are so unhappy about it why don't they do something? The NORK weapons will be aimed at South Korea, Japan and quite possibly the United States. Why would the Chinese be unhappy about that?

#6 Once we were informed that they were going to test, why didn't we take the opportunity to drop a multi megaton bomb onto the test site. Just crack out the biggest thing we can find from the 60's load it in a stealth bomber and completely destroy everything there, and kill all their experts.

We can just deny everything, and their programs will be set back decades.

* WORLD MILITARY FORUM > FM ZHOU XIAOPING: NORTH KOREA'S INTENT BEHIND ITS THIRD NUCLEAR TEST WAS TO OPEN UP CHINA + INDUCE UNILATERAL PRO-NORTH KOREA INTERNAL, TRADE REFORMS + COOPERATION ON THE PART OF CHINA. NUKE-ARMED NORTH KOREA ALSO SERVES TO PROTECT NORTH FROM RIGHT-WING LED SOUTH KOREAN + JAPANESE MILITARY ATTACK AGZ NORTH KOREA WHILE ALLOWING CHINA TO FOCUS ON IMPROVING ITS GLOBAL TRADE. INDUCEMENT OF SOUTH KOREA + JAPAN TO FINALLY END THEIR RELIANCE ON A WEAKENING US + US NUCLEAR UMBRELLA FOR THEIR NUCLEAR SECURITY IN FAVOR OF CHINA + "ASIAN UNION".

* SAME > ANALYSIS: EXPLOSIVE YIELD OF NORTH KOREAN THIRD NUCLEAR TEST ESTIMATED TO BE EQUIVALENT TO 45,000 TONS OF TNT.

* SAME > SIX REASONS WHY CHINA + JAPAN ARE NOW IN A STATE OF WAR.

* SAME > SINO-JAPANESE WAR IMMINENT? US EXPERTS BELIEVE CHINA'S CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISSION AUTHORIZED OR ORDERED SUBORDINATE PLA MILITARY DISTRICT + EAST CHINA SEA FLEET COMMANDS TO IRRADIATE JAPANESE VESSEL + HELICOPTER WID CHINESE VESSEL'S WEAPONS RADAR. INCIDENT RAISES PROBABILITY OF FUTURE SINO-JAPANESE MILITARY CLASHES WHICH MAY LEAD TO FULL-SCALE BILATERAL WAR.

It will have some kind of yet-to-be-determined impact, to include possible final numbers adjustments, but the US at this time remains broadly committed to adhering to its past agreements or promissories wid Pacific Allies e.g. planned redux of USMC presence on Okinawa + reloc to Guam.